Paper-feeding device.



PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904.

H. S. MUNSON. PAPER FEEDING DEVICE APPLIOATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904.

- H. S. MUNSON.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

- W [av/01922261:

Patented October 4, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY S. MUNSON, OF NEWV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

PAPER-FEEDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,384, dated October 4, 1904.

Application filed May 25,1904.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY S. MUNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Paper-Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of paperfeeding devices in which sheets of paper of a given size or blanks of paper out and creased into a definite form prior to being folded and glued into boxes are stacked upon each other and deposited upon a traveling platform or in a hopper arranged above such platform.

The invention is particularly adapted to that class of paper-feeding devices in which the sheets of paper are automatically fed from such stack or hopper either to the action of a printing-press or to the folding and gluing devices of an automatic box-machine. The prime object of the invention is to provide an automatic and continuous paper-feeding device that will select and discharge a single sheet of paper or a single box-blank from the stack or hopper and deliver them in a continuous procession at a high rate of speed to the action of a printing-machine or to the folding and gluing devices of a box-machine.

In the drawings which form an essential and important part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a paper-feeding device in which is fully embodied my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged and detached sectional elevation of the vital part of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional cross view thereof.

In all the figures the same reference-letters indicate corresponding parts.

The several views do not show the printing devices or presses or the automatic box-machines to which my invention may be attached, as they form no part of the present invention, which is, however, applicable to all forms of such machines. a

The invention is not designed to act upon thin paper, such as ordinary writing or printing paper, but wholly upon that class of paper which may bedesignated in general terms as cardboard and which is used in the manu- Serial No. 209,653. (No model.)

facture of what is commercially known as folding paper boxes. This class of paper is thick and heavy, and thus affords means of control not afforded in using thin paper. The box-blanks are cut and creased by the means usually employed for that purpose and are then automatically fed to a printing-machine and all desired matter imprinted thereon; but this part of the operation may be performed upon the blanks prior to their being cut and creased. Y

The printing being completed and the blanks duly cut and creased, they are stacked in a mass in a hopper or upon the delivery-belts and automatically discharged therefrom one by one in a continuous procession and presented to the action of the folding, gluing, and delivery devices of an automatic box-machine, from which they are discharged in the shape of finished and complete boxes.

The various operating parts are adjustably mounted in slotted cross-supports B, C, and D, which extend the full width of the machine and are securely attached to the upright side frames of the body of the machine, such side frames not being shown in the drawings. Some of the operating devices are mounted upon cross shafts E, F, and Cr, which are journaled in suitable boxes or bearings in the side frames of the machine, shaft E being utilized as the prime mover and imparting motion to shaft G by means of a train of gears shown by dotted lines E. Shafts H and H, which also extend the full width of the machine, are gathering-rolls for insuring the positive transfer of the blanks to the printingmachine or to an automatic box-machine, as the case may be. They are positively driven by means of proper connection with the prime shaft E and are geared together to insure uniform movement, the upper roll H being loosely mounted in its boxes so as to adjust itself to any varying thickness of the paper blanks.

I, I, I and I are a series of endless carrying-belts mounted upon a series of drivingpulleys J, J, J and J and the shaft G. These pulleys J J 3 are indicated in Fig. 1 by a single pulley (marked J J and are adjustable in their position on the shaft E, and it is obvious that 100 they may be increased in number with attending belts I I that any width of box-blanks may require. The movement of the pulleys J J 3 and shaft G being the same as regards surface speeds, the several carrying-belts of course conform to the speed thereof.

A set of adjustable idler-rolls a, (L10 (0 and a serve to hold the belts I, I, I and I in proper position in the same horizontal plane and also insure proper strength of support in order to carry the mass of paper blanks P, deposited upon them. These rolls are mounted and journaled in the minor frames T, which are adjustably supported in the slotted cross-supports B and C and secured there to by means of suitable set-screws, as shown. The series of rollers or pulleys R, R, R and R (of same width as the pulleys J J and belts I 1 are adjustably mounted upon the idler cross-shaft F, which is journaled in boxes attached to the side frames of the machine. The pulleys J J may have channels 20 in their periphery (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) in which the belts I, I, I and I will run, these channels being deep enough to insure the correct parallel movement of the belts, or such pulleys may be crowned sufficiently to produce the same action. The pulley R is provided with a flange 1), the periphery of which is on a line parallel with the surface of the several carrying-belts I, I, I and 1 (See Fig. 3.) Directly above the pulleys R, R, R and R are arranged a series of pressing and combing rolls 0, 0, c and 0 (the carrying-belts passing in between pulleys or rollers BB and combing-rollers c 0 These rollers are loosely mounted upon small shafts f, carried in hangers d, which in turn swing upon a stud or shaft d, which is journaled in a depending arm (Z adjustably mounted in the slotted cross-supporting frame D and secured therein by means of a suitable screwclamp similar to 6.

These pressing and combing rolls 0, 0, c and c are made yielding in their functions by means of springs g acting upon projecting arm IL, as shown. In their normal position, pending the passage of a paper blank, these rollers c, c, 0 and 0 would rest upon the carrying-belts I, I, 1 and 1 M is an adjustable stop-finger for controlling the flow of paper blanks and regulating their delivery from the general mass. It is mounted upon the face .of the small frame N, which is secured rigidly in the slotted crosssupport D by means of the screw-clamp a. This finger M is made adjustable in its position on the frame N by means of slots is, setscrews Z, and the adj usting-screw m, the latter operating through the head a of finger M, entering screw-threads n in the top of frame N, as shown in Fig. 1. The adjustable finger M is set directly above the flange f the roller R and, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 3, it can be dropped down so closely to the flange 7) as to completely close all passages between them.

. P represents a mass or stack of paper blanks deposited upon the carrying-belts I, I, I and 1 the forward movement of such belts drawing and forcing the blanks close to the face of rollers 0,0, 0 and 0 the bottom blank of the mass passing under'the base of the finger M, the blank above it impinging against its face, and thereby held back until the bottom blank has been carried beyond the finger. This action causes the mass of blanks P to be combed backward, as is shown in Fig. 2, so that the front edge of each blank is retired a short distancesayone thirty-second of an inchto the rear of the blank immediately beneath it, thus making a short projection,which is ample for the united grasping action of the belts I I and the rollers 0 c at the proper time. The finger-stop M being so set that only the bottom blank of the mass can pass beneath it, it is plainly evident that as the rear end of the first or bottom blank clears the front end of the blank above it this latter blank at once falls below the finger M to the action of the belts and is in turn carried beneath the fingerstop M and forward to the grasp of the belts I and rollers c and that this action and operation is continuous so long as the supply of blanks are stacked upon the carrying-belts. The entire apparatus is arranged to handle any width of blanks, as any number of pulleys R, carrying-belts I, and rollers ccan be mounted in the slotted cross-supports in the same manner as has been described.

The operation of the combined elements is as follows: The supply of paper blanks P being stacked upon the carrying-belts, the bottom blank is caused by the friction of the belts to pass forward beneath the finger M, this finger checking the advance of the other blanks, aided by the combing-rollers 0, as has been described, until the first blank has passed beyond the finger, when the succeeding blank drops to the belt and is at once drawn forward under the finger in a like manner. As the blanks successively pass under the finger M they are grasped between the bight of the carryingbelts I, 1, I and I flange I) of pulley R and the pressing and combing rollers 0, 0, c and 0 the combined action of which carries the blanks forward to the bite of roller-shaft S and belts I, which forward them to the action of shafts H and H, which in turns delivers them to the operating mechanism of the printing-machine or to theautomatic folding-box machine, as the case may be.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a paper-feeding device, the combination of a continuously-moving support carrying a mass of blanks stacked thereon, an adjustable finger-stop, an idler-roller directly beneath such finger-stop, and a combing device controlling the step-by-step presentation of the blanks, the three devices operating to limit the passage between them to a single blank, substantially as shown and set forth.

2. In an automatic paper-feeding device, the combination of a series of continuously-traveling belts forming a support for a mass of paper blanks, means for operating the same in unison, an adjustable stop, an idler-roller directly beneath such stop having a projecting flange, and an elastic pressing and combing roller, the several elements cooperating to limit the passage between them to a single blank, all substantially as herein shown and set forth.

3. In a paper-feeding apparatus adapted for the rapid and continuous delivery of paper blanks to the gluing and folding devices of an automatic box-machine, the combination of the following elements, viz: a continuouslymoving support carrying a mass of blanks, a depending finger-stop adjustable in all directions, an idler-roller arranged beneath said finger-stop, an elastic combing-roller governing the presentation of the blanks in step-bystep form, and a gathering and delivering device for forwarding the blanks to the action of the box-machine, all substantially as herein shown and set forth.

4. The combination in a paper-feeding device, of one or more traveling belts I, I, I and 1 one or more supporting idler-rollers R, R and R flanged idler-roller R the adjustable finger-stop M, and one or more elastic combing-rollers c, c 0 and 0 all arranged and operating substantially as herein shown and described. I

5. In a paper-feeding device, the combination of the roller R having flange b, fingerstop M, the yielding roller 0, and the belt I, all arranged and operating as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, HARVEY MUNSON.

Witnesses:

A. L. MUNSON, CHAS. F. WILLIAMs. 

